Aquatic device



April 27, 1965 L. GOUEDY AQUATIC DEVICE Filed May 6, 1964 LUCEN L.GOUEDY BY A'r'r NEY United States Patent 3,180,366 AQUATIC DEVICE LucienL. Gouedy, 160 Grove St., Ponchatouia, La.

Filed May 6, 1964, Ser. No. 365,435 Claims. (Cl. 115-43 The presentinvention relates to an aquatic device, and more particularly, relatesto an aquatic device for carrying a person substantially out of thewater.

Small boat-like structures and/ or swimming devices or aids arewell-known in the art and have taken a variety of forms. However, all ofthe prior art devices suffer from at least one of a plurality ofdisadvantages.

Certain prior art devices comprise merely a surface upon which tosupport the body and provide no propelling means other than theoperators hands and arms. These devices are, of course, difficult topropel and control.

Other prior art devices strap the operator into, position in or on thedevice, usually with the operator being partly submerged. These devicesare extremely difiicult to get onto and off of and in case of troubleare dangerous and unsafe. In addition, such devices, particularly thosein which the operator is partly submerged, are not operable in shallowwater.

Other prior art devices have relatively complex propelling devices whichutilize mechanical elements which are expensive and subject to breakage.These devices are not only expensive to manufacture, but are alsoexpensive to repair.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an aquaticdevice for carrying a person substantially out of the water whichobviates the difficulties of the prior art, such as those indicatedabove.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an aquaticdevice which is extremely simple in construction, lacks complexmechanical elements, is inexpensive to construch'and is inexpensive torepair.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an aquaticdevice of extreme simplicity which is effective in carrying a person indeep or shallow water, safely.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an aquaticdevice which is easy to get on and off of, which which does not strapthe operator into position, and which is safe.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an aquaticvessel having a working platform on which objects, such as sea specimensor distressed swimmers, can be placed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an aquaticdevice which is highly rrraneuverable.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an aquaticdevice which protects the operators face from the water.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an aquaticdevice which permits freedom of the operatcrs hands and feet for use inthe water.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an aquaticdevice which may be used as a toy, as a means for water transportation,as an aid to life-guards, as an aid to skin divers, as an exercisedevice, and for aquatic transportation of persons whose legs areincapacitated or partly incapacitated.

These and other objects and the nature and advantages of the presentinvention will be more apparent from the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 comprises a plan view of an aquatic device in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 comprises an elevation view of the aquatic device of FIG. 1; and

PEG. 3 is a rear-end elevation new of the aquatic device 7 of FIGS. 1and 2.

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The aquatic device of the present invention is shown generally at 14 andcomprises-a generally T-shaped body portion 12, wherein the leg 14 ofthe T-shape extends rearwardly for supporting the body of the personoperating the aquatic device and the transverse head 16 of the T-shapedbody portion is provided at the front end of the aquatic device. Thebody portion 12 is preferably provided with a relatively smooth fiatupper surface 1 and a relatively rounded bottom surface 20 which taperstowards the base 22 of the T-shaped leg and also tapers towards thefront edge 24- of the head 16.

The overall T-shape of the body portion is particularly advantageous inthat this shape allows an operator free use of his hands and feet in thewater, since the operators body portion lies on a narrow stableplatform. Since the openator is not strapped to the aquatic device, hecan easily get on and off.

The flat upper surface 18' of the head 16 of the body portion 12 alsoaffords a working platform which is useful for a variety of reasons.Thus in bottom exploration, sea specimens, rocks, etc. can be placed onthe flat surface 18'. For use in life saving, the flat surface 18permits a lifeguard to easily slide an unconscious person aboard fromstern and push to a safe place.

The body portion 12 is formed of some type of flotation material tosupport the person operating the device. Thus, the body portion '12 ispreferably formed of plywood and is hollow but may also be made of anyother structural material such as aluminum, plastic, stainless steel,etc. If desired, the hollow shell of structural material which forms thebody portion 12 may be filled with a lighter-than-water material'such ascork or foam plastic 26. Polystyrene foam is the preferredlighterthanawater material, since it is both relatively inexpensive.

and inert. If desired, and in place of. a structural material shelleither hollow or filled with lighter-thamwater material, the bodyportion 12 may be formed of molded, expanded flotation material which isreinforced either externally or internally.

The aquatic device 10 is provided with a propelling means :28 projectinglongitudinally from each extremity 16' of the head 16 of the T-shapedbody portion and towards the base 22 of the T-shaped body portion. Eachsuch propelling means 28 comprises a frame member 3i) rigidly attachedto the extremity 16 of the head, a paddle wheel 3-2 rotationally mountedwithin the frame 30, and

i a crank handle 34 projecting through the frame 30 and portion 12 sothat it may be easily operated by the person whose body is supported onthe leg 14.

Each paddle wheel 32 may comprise any number of radially outwardlyprojecting paddles 32, but in the embodirnent shown seven paddles areprovided. In each case, however, the paddle 32 is essentially U-shapedas best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3. By providing U-shaped paddles, theaquatic device can be more easily controlled and propelled with littlereduction in speed.

Preferably, the aquatic device 10 is also provided with a viewing meansas in the leg 14 ofthe body portion 12 adjacent the head portion 16. Theviewing means 36 comprises a Well 38 which projects downwardly from thetop '18 to the bottom 20 of the body portion 12 and, preferably, awindow 40 at the bottom of the well 38 and contiguous with the bottomsurface 20. Although a window 40 is preferred, it is not essential solong as the Well 38 seals the interior of the body portion 12 from thewater which will enter the bottom of the Well 38. 'If a window 40 isused, it may be formed of glas or transparent plastic, such aspolymethylmethaciylate. If desired, a flexible hood may be providedabove the well 33. Such a hood 42 will serve to protect the head of theoperator from the sun and Waves and will also provide a sunshield toimprove viewing through the window 45) by reducing reflections.

The viewing means 36 is particularly advantageous if used with a window4t) since the speed of the aquatic device 19 is increased when a windowis used, and, in addition, viewing is improved which is particularlyadvantageous in skin diving and bottom exploration.

The aquatic device It may be provided with an anchor means 44 to anchorthe device in a desired location. The anchor means 44 comprises a plate46 mounted on the upper surface 18 of the T-shaped head 16 andprojecting over the front edge of the head. The plate 46 is attached tothe head 16 via a suitable attaching means such as screws 48. Mounted onthe plate 4s is a spool 50 to which is attached a crank handle 52. Thespool 50 is provided with a rope 54 formed of suitable material, such asnylon, which passes through a hole to the plate 46. Attached to theextreme end of the rope 54 is an anchor 56. In retracted position, asshown in FIG. 2, the upper part of the anchor projects through the holein the plate 46.

The anchor means 44 is particularly useful when the device is used by aslrindiver. In this manner the diver can travel above the surface to hisdesired location, stop, let down the anchor, investigate the bottom andreturn to the device in the same place as it was left. The device thusallows the divers to travel over the surface, which conserves their airsupply, and dive in places of their choice. If desired, the device couldbe towed from under water by the diver by use of the anchor rope.

Because the aquatic device maintains the operator above the surface, itmay be operated in shallow water. The device obtains additionalmaneuverability due to the positioning of the paddle wheels. Thus, thepaddle wheels are spaced far apart relative to the narrow, stable centerfloat which supports the body portion and the reversible paddle wheelspermit the device to be completely turned around without moving in anypositive direction in the water.

The curved bottom surface 20 of the aquatic device offers a minimum ofwater resistance and permits the device to be moved rapidly through thewater. In addition, the curve or the taper at the bow 24 acts to liftthe bow in choppy water and tends to break Wavelets off from theoperators head and face. The hood 42 also serves to protect theoperators head and face.

What is claimed is:

1. An aquatic device for carrying a person substantially out of thewater comprising a generally T-shaped body portion for supporting aperson substantially out of the water, said body portion being formed ofa flotation material, and a propelling means projecting longitudinallyfrom each extremity of the head of said T-shaped body portion backtowards the base of said T, each said propelling means comprising aframe, a paddle wheel rotationally mounted in said frame, and a crankhandle connected to said paddle wheel and projecting inwardly towardsthe leg of said T.

2. An aquatic device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said bodyportion is hollow.

3. An aquatic device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said bodyportion is filled with foam plastic.

4. An aquatic device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the uppersurface of said body portion is essentially flat and the bottom surfaceis rounded to provide a taper towards said base and towards the frontend of said head.

5. An aquatic device in accordance with claim 1 wherein each paddle ofeach said propelling means is essentially U-shaped.

6. An aquatic device in accordance with claim 1 further comprisinganchor means mounted on the upper surface of said head and projectingover the edge of said head.

7. An aquatic device in accordance with claim 1 further comprisingviewing means in said leg of said T- shaped body portion adjacent saidhead, said viewing means projecting through said leg to permit seeingbeneath the surface of the water.

8. An aquatic device in accordance with claim 7 wherein said viewingmeans comprises a well in said leg and a window at the bottom of saidwell.

9. An aquatic device in accordance with claim 8 wherein said viewingmeans further comprises a hood above said well.

10. An aquatic device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the uppersurface of said head provides a working platform.

References fitted by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,030,525 6/12Myers ll522.3

1,075,074 10/ l 3 Uchtmann ll5-22.3

1,640,390 8/27 Bacon 23 3,045,636 7/62 Thomas et al 1l5-23 3,081,7263/63 Betts et al. l1466 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,254,432 1/ 61 France MILTONBUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

1. AN AQUATIC DEVICE FOR CARRYING A PERSON SUBSTANTIALLY OUT OF THEWATER COMPRISING A GENERALLY T-SHAPED BODY PORTION FOR SUPPORTING APERSON SUBSTANTIALLY OUT OF THE WATER, SAID BODY PORTION BEING FORMED OFA FLOTATION MATERIAL, AND A PROPELLING MEANS PROJECTING LONGITUDINALLYFROM EACH EXTREMITY OF THE HEAD OF SAID T-SHAPED BODY PORTION BACKTOWARDS THE BASE OF SAID T, EACH SAID PORPELLING MEANS COMPRISING AFRAME, A PADLE WHEEL ROTATIONALLY MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME, AND A CRANKHANDLE CON-